Thursday, January 3, 2013

Trillion Red – Metaphere

How do you describe a sound? How do you describe feelings or emotions? We have words for these things, and if you are speaking to someone who uses the same language, you have somewhat of a basis for it. But really, how would you tell someone what a bell sounds like? Especially if they’ve never heard one. If we talk about love, it all means something different to each and every one of us, we all feel it differently. And from my own experience, sometimes there are not words to describe what we are seeing, feeling or thinking.

All of that is my lead in to this amazing release from Trillion Red. Because I have listened to this one several times, more I think than any other album I’ve reviewed, and I still don’t have words to tell you what I heard, to try to describe this music to you. I thought about something like, “This is real next level shit”, which it is, but that doesn’t tell you anything about the music. I’m gonna take a couple of paragraphs and do my best, but just know this, if you are a fan of music of any genre, if you are fan of music that takes risks and does things for you that are new and colorful, then check this out. This is the album you have been looking for.I suppose you could start with black metal as a reference point, but you would have to expand pretty quickly from there. This is music that is sometimes just atmosphere, just sounds, just something making its existence known to you. I don’t mean to say it is formless and just there, there is definitely a coherence to all of it, but if you are looking for traditional song structures, if you need a riff hitting you in the head every 30 seconds, move on. This is music for those who have moved on, who want more, who need something different, something that will make you sit up and take notice that this is what music, or maybe better phrased, this is what art can be, when art is a sound.

There are certainly songs that contain riffs, melodies, singing, on this release, it is not just a bunch of soundscapes. The really amazing thing to me is that all of these disparate elements form one very cohesive album. It flows beautifully from one point to the next. It is moody music; it is music that I don’t just want on in the background. It is music to take some time with, to put the headphones on, turn the lights off, close your eyes and let this album take you on a journey. There is so much here that you may go on a different journey each time you listen, based on where your mind is at when you start.

I am a huge fan of Trillion Red. I loved the previous EP, “Two Tongues”, which you also need to own if you don’t. And I am mega excited to see news on Facebook today that another EP is in the works. This is music that truly needs to be heard. This is why I, at least, write these reviews, so I can let you know about a release like this that gets the juices flowing. This IS next level shit. Dig it.